I'm finding that beer making can be quite a convoluted task. I see from reading about contamination that it seems pretty much imperitave that I install a sink as well, what with all the bathing in clorox and boiling all the bottles, caps, utensils and even the water to be used for the beer. I can see that there would be some advantage to having experience before designing the layout. It would seem that having a giant sink immediately below a cooking platform might make things a lot easier in terms of dumping and overspill / overboil.
Would a dishwasher work for sterilization? If so, what would you use for the "soap"? I'm guessing some % of clorox or some specially made product. Seems those dishwasher heating elements might help at the end of the cycle. Does anyone do that in lieu of all the manual washing and disinfecting? I'd prefer that step to be as automated and reliable as possible.

I'm finding that beer making can be quite a convoluted task. I see from reading about contamination that it seems pretty much imperitave that I install a sink as well, what with all the bathing in clorox and boiling all the bottles, caps, utensils and even the water to be used for the beer. I can see that there would be some advantage to having experience before designing the layout. It would seem that having a giant sink immediately below a cooking platform might make things a lot easier in terms of dumping and overspill / overboil.
Would a dishwasher work for sterilization? If so, what would you use for the "soap"? I'm guessing some % of clorox or some specially made product. Seems those dishwasher heating elements might help at the end of the cycle. Does anyone do that in lieu of all the manual washing and disinfecting? I'd prefer that step to be as automated and reliable as possible.

The no rinse part of it seems like a bonus. Is this stuff expensive after awhile? In other words, do some very frugal folks prefer a more home made solution to the problem or is this fairly economical and pretty much a home brew standard.

The no rinse part of it seems like a bonus. Is this stuff expensive after awhile? In other words, do some very frugal folks prefer a more home made solution to the problem or is this fairly economical and pretty much a home brew standard.

Yes, Star San is pretty much the home brew standard, though others will also suggest iodophor. Star San isn't very expensive at all- my LHBS sells an 8oz bottle for $10. All you need is 1oz for a 5 gallon batch of diluted Star San, and as long as the pH stays below 3, it still sanitizes effectively; I just started using it a few weeks ago, but according to others a batch can last for months if properly stored.

I'll keep it on the list of tools required. I'd sure hate to go through all the steps and expense to make a bunch of beer just to have it get contaminated. I'm curious if even the experienced brewers get contamination now and again without knowing why. Or is it a matter that you never get it if you always follow the same guidelines.

I believe Atonk means he doesn't have fires going at the same time as his brewing burners. I could see that possibly making it too hot in the garage, or at least altering known temperatures he's used to.

You can store star San for months in a covered bucket depending on how hard your water is. It is also the best sanitizer because it is made specifically for brewing. There is a great brew strong podcast on sanitizing that explains the science better than I can. Check iTunes for the podcast.